(i) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an attachment for flushing waste holding tanks of trailers.
(ii) Nature of the Prior Art
The modern camping trailer equipped with a flush-toilet is frequently provided with a reservoir which forms an integral part of the trailer and which serves as a waste holding-tank for the mixture of liquid and solid waste deposited in the toilet by the occupants of the trailer. For normal occupancy of the trailer, the holding-tank is emptied at intervals of a few days.
The waste holding-tank will typically have capacity of forty or more liters and be equipped with an outlet drain-pipe of about 10 cm diameter. This drain-pipe is equipped with a simple, hand-operated valve with which it is closed or opened as required. This valve is, e.g. a blade valve, which usually has an interior opening of the same size as the internal diameter of the drain pipe leading from the waste holding tank so that the contents of the waste holding tank are evacuated by unrestricted gravity discharge. In addition, the drain-pipe is generally equipped with fittings for conveniently connecting it to a flexible drain-hose of about the same diameter as the pipe itself and about two meters long, equipped at one end, for securement in complementary fashion, to the pipe. When the valve is opened, the drain-hose serves to direct the waste from the holding-tank into the collection devices of the types with which dumping stations are provided, in many campsites and other locations, for receiving the waste from trailer waste holding-tanks.
It is well known, however, that the emptying operation, even when executed with care, frequently results in spillage of some of the liquid and solid waste from the waste holding-tank in the area surrounding the dump station. This is not simply a source of embarrassment to the trailer operator but, more seriously, the source of distinctly unhygienic conditions which prevail in the vicinity of most such dump stations.
One major contributor to this spillage of waste from the holding-tank of the trailer is the fact that the holding tank is not adequately emptied by simply allowing the contents to flow out, via the drain-hose, into the receptacle of the dump station. In order fully to empty the holding-tank of solids, it is necessary to flush the holding tank out with water from a water-hose that is usually provided at trailer dumps for this purpose.
The flushing operation is generally carried out after detaching the drain-hose. The water-hose is then inserted into the holding-tank via the open end of the drain-pipe and through the open valve. The result is that the flushing water and the residual solids in the holding-tank, no longer guided by the drain-hose, frequently fall outside the receptacle provided in the dump station. This leads to the unhygienic conditions referred to previously.
It would therefore be highly desirable to provide a simple device which allows the holding-tank of the trailer to be flushed out with the water-hose while keeping the drain-hose attached to the drain-pipe of the holding-tank so as to continue to direct the flushed-out waste, by means of the drain-hose, into the collector of the dump station and so avoid the spillage of waste in its vicinity.
The concepts of a dual fluid connection and rapid connect/disconnect devices have been provided in non-analogous art. For example, Canadian Patent No. 118,259, issued 11 May 1909, to Herman E. Loebe, provided a pipe having an outlet head, and an annular shoulder at the junction of the head with the pipe, in combination with a fitting provided with a conical opening for receiving the head. A tubular operating lever having its lower portion bifurcated, straddled the fitting and was pivoted thereto. A slotted collar engaged the annular shoulder, and links connected the collar with the operating lever. The fitting was provided with a segmental lug for engagement by the detent. In this way, the operating lever was retained in its adjusted position, the detent being grooved to permit it to straddle the lug.
Canadian Patent No. 788,352, issued June 25, 1968, to John H. Schmid, provided a fitting for batteries of wall mounted wall water closets. The patentee provided a drainage system comprising a hollow body having a longitudinal central axis adapted to be connected to a drain line. A flange defined an opening in one side of the hollow body. A generally Z-shaped, hollow rigid arm was provided, having an inlet end and an outlet end and an elongated intermediate part. A flange was provided at the outlet end defining an opening, the opening in the body being substantially larger than the opening at the outlet end of the arm, each of the flanges being radially extending from their respective arm and body. The flanges on the outlet end of the arm were so sized and shaped with respect to the flanges on the body as completely to overlie and seal the edges of the opening in the hollow body when moved to any permissible angle of adjustment with respect thereto. Connecting means were provided on the inlet end of the rigid arm to connect a water closet thereto. Means were provided for swingably connecting the flanges to permit relative movement between the body and the rigid arm, thereby to swing the arm relative to the body through a range of angular positions and to move the connecting means in a substantially straight line generally perpendicular to the axis of the fitting body. The openings in the body and arm were in full, unrestricted fluid flow communication to all angular positions of adjustment. Fastening means were provided to secure the flanges in fluid-tight adjusted position.
Canadian Patent No. 1,006,402, issued Mar. 8, 1977, to J. W. Plauka et. al., provided pipe fittings, e.g. tee fittings, wye fittings, elbow fittings or the like out of synthetic plastics materials. In the procedure taught by the patentees, at least two pipe sections were connected together by forming complementary edges in the pipe section. The formed edges were placed into engagement with one another in a complementary fashion so as to form a non-linear fitting. Thereafter, at predetermined time intervals, a plurality of liquid mixture coating layers of flexible resin were applied to the external surfaces of the pipe section over the engaging edges.
Canadian Patent No. 1,096,899, issued May 3, 1981, to J. Bain, provided a safety connection for use in partial rebreathing anesthetics systems. The connection comprised a rigid tubular member, the rigid tubular member having, in axial alignment, a first tubular end portion and a second tubular end portion. The tubular member had a substantially centrally located portion of wider diameter than the major portion of the end portions. A first flexible tubing having an end portion was concentrically frictionally positioned on the first end portion. The second end portion had a tube stub extending axially beyond the second end portion and a diameter less than the second portion. The centrally located portion of wider diameter had a tubular stub having a bore therethrough in communication internally with respect to the rigid tubular member, and at an angle less than 90.degree. with respect to the axis of the rigid tubular member in the direction towards the second end portion. The stub had a second flexible tubing threaded therethrough into the rigid tubular member and through the first flexible tubing. The second flexible tubing had an end portion fitted with a tubular connecting means.
In the realm of quick connect/disconnect devices, Canadian Patent No. 128,526, issued Oct. 4, 1910, to J. W. Roberts, provided an improvement in a hose coupling, including the combination of the two parts of the coupling, and a hooked coupling piece on each part. A keeper was also provided on each part. The coupling piece and keeper on one part were adapted to engage the keeper and coupling piece of the other part. A sliding bolt was carried by each part. A keeper was provided on each part with which the bolt on the adjoining part was adapted to cooperate. The keepers and bolts had an inclined engagement with one another, whereby the coupling could be tightened and locked.
In Canadian Patent No. 1,010,922, issued May 24, 1977, to R. N. Penny, a mounting was provided for attaching a tubular member in coaxial registration with an aperture in a wall. The tubular member had, at one end thereof, a spigot which was to be fitted into an aperture in a supporting structure. A mounting supported the shroud member in co-axial registration with the aperture in the supporting structure. The mounting included the spigot, which was of complementary shape to the aperture. A plurality of radially-outwardly-extending lugs were spaced apart around the periphery of the spigot. The supporting structure had a corresponding number of notches spaced apar around the periphery of the aperture, the lugs, when aligned with the notches, being insertable through the notches by axial movement of the tubular member and then being retained, in the manner of a bayonet-type of coupling, by portions of the supporting structure between the notches when the tubular member has been partly turned about its longitudinal axis. The tubular member also had a flange spaced axially from the lugs and sealingly engageable with the supporting structure when the lugs were located behind the portions between the notches. The lugs and the flange together thus held the tubular member from axial movement with respect to the supporting structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,347, patented Jan. 9, 1979, by A. Mercer, teaches a waste evacuation attachment for a recreational vehicle. Such attachment comprises a rigid cylindrical housing readily mountable to the existing fittings of a sewage discharge outlet of the recreational vehicle. A telescoping hose is contained within the housing and has a fitting on the extendable end to adapt the hose to waste receiving receptacles. The assembly eliminates the difficulties inherent in conventional recreational vehicles which require the attachment and removal of a separate hose unit whenever the vehicle hooks up at an overnight site. The purpose of the nozzle provided on this device is to flush the hose and the pipes. The hose and pipe is a stub pipe sewage outlet and an accordian hose. The nozzle is glued to the connecting end piece. The nozzle has a hose fitting to permit the attachment and flushing of the attachment with a "garden hose". Any such hose which may exist at the trailer park is generally in the form of a flexible water hose connected to a stand pipe and with a nozzle fixedly secured to the end. In practice, the nozzle cannot be removed, and there would be no way to attach the end of the water hose to the fitting described in this patent.
Dozier et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 794,165, patented July 11, 1905, teaches a "Y" shaped soil pipe with a clean-out fitting having a threadedly-removable cap.
Franklin, U.S. Pat. No. 2,493,577, patented Jan. 3, 1950, shows a cam-carrying ring shaped to grip a faucet spout.
Tan, U.S. Pat. No. 3,605,135, patented Sept. 20, 1971, shows a sealing device fitted at the end of a hose so that a fluid-tight connector may be made with the drain of a sink.
Sakamoto, et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,217, patented Nov. 18, 1980, shows a pipe joint construction, including a main pipe and one or more branch pipes welded thereto in such a way as to improve rigidity.
Germain, U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,549, patented June 23, 1981, shows the securement of a flushing attachment in a manner whereby an inlet hose is gripped, and in which a baffle is provided which has port means for the passage of fuel vapors.
Baker, et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,366, patented Mar. 16, 1982, provides an air vent for a coupling device, the air vent being provided with a ball check valve.
Austrian Patent No. 219,913, dated Feb. 25, 1962, shows a quick connect-disconnect fitting.